When the first attacker grabbed my wrist; I hammer-fisted his forearm and issued a sweep-kick to his groin.

The second time I was assaulted, I was bear-hugged from behind and fell to the ground; I kicked and struggled my way out of my assailant's grasp and then punched a second attacker right in the face.

The third attack was perpetrated by three men. Before they grabbed me, they cat-called. Hey baby. You alone? Want to come home with me? My eyes were closed, to increase my sense of disorientation. They touched my shoulders. My brain tunneled. Then one of them took hold of me and I screamed — a real scream, the kind you hear in horror movies. My eyes flew open.

All of a sudden, I was on the floor again (I really need to work on maintaining my center of gravity); I squirmed away and kicked him hard to make sure he stayed down, just as the second guy started to approach. I punched him in the arm and shot my knee into his groin. The third guy . . . I can't remember. My adrenaline was pumping too fast; I was trying too hard to remember to "use my voice" — to articulate the word "No!" every time I struck out, as much to encourage breathing as to convey my resistance.

Yes, my assailants were suited up like a cross between the Michelin Man and the lobster dude who waves to cars on Commercial Street. Yes, I too was wearing padding (on my elbows, knees, and hands, plus a helmet). Yes, I knew that I was in a safe environment. But it was still fucking terrifying.

It was a Saturday morning in April, and I was going through three simulated assaults as the capstone to the Portland Police Department's Rape Aggression Defense Program. The program, run by Portland police officers and trained civilian volunteers, is sponsored by the Amy St. Laurent Foundation, which was created by St. Laurent's mother after 25-year-old Amy was abducted and killed in 2001. For almost 10 years, the PPD has held these classes several times a year; they consist of four "classroom sessions" — book learning and physical training — plus the final simulation session.

According to PPD statistics, there have been six forcible rapes in the city so far this year. This time last year, there had been seven. The 12 other women in my class were there for a variety of reasons. Some were case workers who wanted to be prepared for home visits or interactions with troubled clients. Others were women who wanted to feel safer during nights out in the Old Port. One woman signed up after her house was broken into. There were two mother-daughter pairings. We ranged from teenagers to middle-aged women; we varied in size and shape and comfort-level.

It feels silly at first — at least, I felt silly — learning the "defensive stance" (one leg back, both arms bent and up, like you're ready to karate-chop), practicing blocks and parries, having to say "No!" literally hundreds of times per night. Sometimes I switched it up, to amuse myself. I'd say "No." Like a statement. Then I'd say "No!" Like a triumphant holler. Then I'd say "No!" Like I was actually scared.

Unsafe Passage: The dangers of getting to and from the job One evening in February, Sara left her State Street office building shortly after six o'clock to walk to her car. As she put the key in the lock of the car door, a man grabbed her from behind and hissed in her ear, "Get in the car."

The naked choke It was love. At first sighting. It was like a love that lovers might have for each other across the spread of a crowded room, and it occurred in a place no less auspicious than the front row of a matinee showing of Mel Gibson's 1987 flick, Lethal Weapon .

Former inmate, activist now free to speak out Last year, when Ray Luc Levasseur was invited to speak on the University of Massachusetts — Amherst campus to commemorate the anniversary of a federal sedition trial held in Springfield, the speech prompted vehement protests from police groups and state officials.

Axed and answered The Vikings, as caricatures, are bulging, golden-locked brutes wielding two-handed axes, who chug from human skulls as they cruise the seas on a mission of mayhem.

Responses to the Dickwolves Debacle Your article " When Dickwolves Attack " (March 4) was great — really well written, and you explain the significance of everything very well. I wasn't much of a Penny Arcade fan, so it was easy for me to forget the vast scope of their influence, for example.

Leveling the playing field A few observations on Dena Riegel's " Striking Back: Turning Feminist Theory Into a Visceral Rape Deterrent " (April 29).

Three-point stance With Green Bay and Pittsburgh squaring off on Super Bowl Sunday, three things about the current state of pro football keep occurring to me that I'd like to share with you, gentle reader.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE | July 24, 2014 When three theater companies, all within a one-hour drive of Portland, choose to present the same Shakespeare play on overlapping dates, you have to wonder what about that particular show resonates with this particular moment.

CHECKING IN: THE NEW GUARD AND THE WRITER'S HOTEL | July 11, 2014 Former Mainer Shanna McNair started The New Guard, an independent, multi-genre literary review, in order to exalt the writer, no matter if that writer was well-established or just starting out.

NO TAR SANDS | July 10, 2014 “People’s feelings are clear...they don’t want to be known as the tar sands capitol of the United States."